Full Circle
by Alicia2
Summary: A journey through the lives of Matt, Jeff, and Amy.
1. 1

Full Circle Title: Full Circle 

Author: Alicia 

Feedback: PrincessFreak77@hotmail.com 

Rating: R 

Summary: A journey through the lives of Amy, Matt, and Jeff. 

Notes: I made everything up. I wasn't trying to be historically accurate. This is all my own little world. 

Disclaimer: Go away. They're not mine. 

+ ~~ + 

North Carolina was beautiful in the winter. The snow was topping every tree and covering every walkway. And someone coming from as far down as Fort Lauderdale, Florida saw everything as beautiful. Nine year old Amy Dumas strained in her seat to see exactly where her father was taking her. Moving had been a big adjustment for her, but seeing all the snow had taken her mind away from everything she had been through back at her other home. 

"Daddy, how long do I get to stay here?" she asked suddenly, taking her eyes from the window and turning them to her father, who looked at her distractedly. 

He looked out his rearview mirror before turning his gaze back on Amy. "Until the New Year, baby. Remember? Then you get to go back to Mommy in Florida." 

She chewed on her lower lip. "Why aren't we all living together? Like we used to?" 

"Honey, we've been over this before. Your Mom and I aren't going to live together anymore. It's not your fault, Amy, but we don't love each other anymore. But we will always love you, which is why we're going to share you. You'll live with your mother most of the year, and then on special times of the year, you'll come live with me." 

"Like Christmas and summer vacation?" she asked. 

He nodded. "And spring break." 

She sat in silence, looking out the window again, without really seeing anything. She heard her father's words, and she knew basically what was going on. She was still confused, however, about why this was all happening. Sitting back against her seat, Amy slept until her father leaned over and told her they were home. 

+ ~~ + 

It was too hot in the house, so nine year old Matt Hardy grabbed his thinnest jacket from the chair and ran outside. Is was a little cold outside, but nothing really major. He slipped the jacket on and sat down on the steps, looking out at the trampoline with longing. He wasn't allowed on it those close to Christmas, because his mom was convinced that the metal would be too slick from the snow and he'd fall off and hurt himself. 

The door opened and closed behind him and his six year old brother Jeff came out and sat beside him. "Dad wants you to come in for a minute." 

Matt shrugged. "So?" 

"Matt, please! I'll get in trouble if I don't bring you in!" Jeff's eyes glazed over with tears and Matt stood up quickly. 

"Don't cry, Jeff," Matt said, hugging his little brother. "I'll come in." 

Inside, they were greeted instantly by their mother. "Come in, come in. We have new neighbors," she said, ushering her sons into the living room. Matt poked his head around the entrance to the room, looking nervously at the two new people in his house. There was a man about as big as his dad sitting on the chair by the window. And in his favorite chair was a girl about his age. In his chair! 

He walked into the room a few steps behind Jeff and his mother, then stopped in front of the girl. "You're in my chair," he said, not even bothering to say hello. 

Her eyes went wide and she scrambled immediately from the chair, dropping to the floor. 

"Matthew Moore!" his mother chastised. "That's not very nice! Get up and let her have that chair back!" 

Matt got up and looked apologetically at the girl. "I'm sorry," he said, gesturing to the chair. "Go on." 

She smiled shyly and sat back down, sliding closer to the side. "There's room for you, too," she said. Matt smiled at her and sat down, nervously fiddling his hands in his lap. 

"Thanks," he muttered. 

Matt's mother cleared her throat and tried to hide her smile. "Matt, Jeff, this is Mr. Dumas and his daughter Amy. They moved in next door." 

Jeff looked up curiously from the floor. "Where's her Mommy?" he asked. 

Mr. Dumas looked uncomfortable, but Amy came to his rescue. "She's in Florida. They got a divorce." 

"Oh." Jeff said. He didn't know what a divorce was, but he was sure it was something bad. 

"I met her mother in North Carolina when I used to live here," Mr. Dumas began. "So when we split, I decided to come back up here. This is Amy's first time ever seeing snow." 

Mrs. Hardy nodded her head and a slow smile spread across her pretty face. "Matt, why don't you and Jeff take Amy outside and build a snowman?" 

+ ~~ + 

Matt looked over at the new girl, not completely sure what to make of her. She was...a girl. "How old are you?" he asked her. 

"Nine." 

"Me, too!" Matt said, deciding maybe she wasn't that bad. 

With great attention to detail, Matt showed his new friend how to build a snowman. They rolled the snow into balls and stacked them on top of each other. After adding the eyes, nose, and mouth, they stepped back to admire their handiwork. Jeff was sitting on the front steps, shivering, when Matt looked up to him for his approval. When he saw Jeff's body shaking with the cold, Matt left his snowman and dashed to his brother's side. 

"Come on, Jeff. I'll take you inside," he said. "I'll be back in a minute, Amy," he told her, and she nodded. Good to his word, he came back out a few minutes later. 

"You really like your brother, don't you?" she asked. 

Matt shrugged and looked at the ground, jamming his hands in his pockets. "He's just a baby. I gotta take care of him." When he looked up again, Amy was right in front of him, looking him in the eyes with a weird smile on her face. 

And then she kissed him. It was very soft and quick, and felt a lot like a snowflake falling on his lips. He stepped back, his cheeks turning an even darker shade of pink. "What did you do that for?" he asked, tempted to wipe off his mouth, just for show. 

Amy shrugged, her own cheeks darker than they had been a few minutes ago. "I wanted to." 

He nodded, then said very quietly, "Okay." 


	2. 2

Full Circle _*4 years later*_

It was the first of June, and Matt's spirits were soaring. Amy, his best friend, was coming up from Florida for three whole months. She had been a friend of the family for four years now, but she only came to see them on holidays and special occasions, when she visited her dad. Her parents were divorced, and she spent most of her time with her mom. 

Her 13th birthday had been a week after she'd visited Cameron, NC for her spring break. Laying on his bed, Matt looked at her wrapped birthday present in his hand. He was 12 years old, and girls were suddenly more appealing to him than ever. He'd been in like with Amy since the first day he'd met her, but it hadn't turned into anything. They were kids. Even now, he wasn't sure anything was going to come of it, but he did know that he had developed a serious crush on her since the last time she'd visited. 

He was still staring at the package in his hands when the door opened and Jeff came in. "What's that?" he asked. 

Matt patted the bed and Jeff came in and sat beside him. "It's Amy's birthday present. I didn't get a chance to give it to her the last time she was here." 

Jeff held out his hand and Matt handed him the package. It was kind of big, and almost flat. "What is it?" 

Matt shook his head. "I'm not going to tell you yet. You'll spoil the secret like you did last year." 

With a goofy grin, Jeff handed Matt back the present. "Can I see when she opens it?" When Matt nodded, he smiled happily. 

There was a knock at the front door and Matt hastily jumped from his bed and stared out the window, seeing that her dad's car was parked in his driveway again. "She's here!" 

Together, him and Jeff ran down the stairs to open the door. Their mother was already there, greeting Amy with a warm hug. "There they are now," she said as Matt and Jeff slid to a stop. 

Amy smiled at Jeff first, hugging him and planting a kiss on the top of his head, much to his delight. Then her gaze turned to Matt, and they both smiled before staring at the floor. "Hi," she said softly, pretending to study the design on her new sneakers. 

"Hi," he responded, reaching out and giving her a tentative hug. Her light brown hair smelled like the flowers his mom grew in the spring, and he almost didn't pull out of the embrace. "I, uh, have something for you. Upstairs," he said, taking her hand nervously and leading her up the steps to his room. 

Jeff came up directly behind them, sitting down eagerly on the bed as Amy examined her gift. She ripped open the green wrapping paper and pulled it away slowly. 

"Ooh, Matt, I love it!" It was a medium sized journal, with enough pages for one entry a day for three years. The cover was black with silver, glittery lettering that read "The Teenage Years of Amy Dumas". 

"I didn't know what else to get you," he said shyly. "I had it special ordered from the store so it would have the words on the front." 

Amy reached across the bed and hugged him then handed the book to Jeff, who was dying to see what was so great about a blank book. 

"I missed you," she said, chewing on her lower lip and scooting just a little closer to him on the bed. 

His heart soared. "Really? I — I mean . . . I missed you, too." His heart was pounding in his chest and his breath was strangely missing, but he managed to lean in closer and press his lips to hers. She responded, and he tentatively put his arms around her, ignoring Jeff's gagging noises from the floor. After a few seconds of blind kissing, Matt pulled back with a small, forced laugh. 

"Matt?" 

He looked up at the sound of her voice. "Yeah?" 

"Would you like to be my boyfriend?" 

"Are you sure you want *me* to be your boyfriend?" 

Her face fell a little, but she nodded. 

"Wow! Of course! Yeah!" he exclaimed. 

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah." 

"Cool!" 

"GROSS!" 

@~~~~~~ 

_*Two years later*_

Amy closed her journal with a soft thud, then tucked it under her pillow. She had dutifully been filling it in since the day Matt had given it to her over two years ago. Almost every entry had been about him. The way he made her feel, the way he kissed, and the way his butt looked in Wranglers. She was fifteen years old, and nothing had changed between the two of them. If anything, they had gotten better. 

She propped her feet up on the windowsill in her room and stared out the window. Winter was fast approaching, which meant that she'd be going to Cameron soon for Christmas vacation with her dad. Which also meant that she'd be able to spend time with Matt. 

They had decided to not date exclusively, since the location difference was so great. She, however, had not given any thought to dating anyone but him, and she believed him when he said he felt the same way. Her parents were urging her to cool things down with him, because they felt she was getting too serious too fast. Her mother had told her straight up that she would disown her if Amy became pregnant. Her father had voiced similar concerns, but she had just smiled and told both of them not to worry. Sex was not in the picture. Yet. 

The telephone by her bed rang, and Amy reached over to pick it up. 

"Hello?" 

"Amy? It's me." 

Amy sat up quickly at the sound of Matt's voice, instantly knowing that something was wrong. "Matt? What's wrong?" 

There was a strangled sob on the other end. "Mom died, Amy. She's gone." 

+ ~~ + 

That day, she got on a plane and flew to Cameron. By the time her plane arrived and she met her teary eyed father at the airport, it had been four hours since Matt had called her with the news. She hugged her father immediately and grabbed her overnight bag. The drive to the Hardy's was long and tense. Finally, they pulled up in front of the house and Amy vaulted out of the car and ran up the steps, not even bothering to knock. 

She found Matt in the living room, holding his brother Jeff. They were both crying, and she knelt down in front of them. Matt looked down at her with red-rimmed eyes and wet cheeks before sinking down to the floor and into her arms. Jeff came down as well, and the three of them sat heaped on the floor, crying. 

+ ~~ + 

She stayed for two days before bidding Matt another tearful goodbye, giving him a light kiss on his lips. She got in her dad's car, feeling like she was going to break down crying again at any minute. 

"Are you okay, honey?" her father asked gently. 

"I will be. Daddy, do you think you could convince Mom to let me come out a week early for Christmas? It's going to be Matt and Jeff's first Christmas without her, and I know they could use a friend right now." 

Mr. Dumas considered it for a second before giving a small nod. "I'll certainly talk to her, baby." 


	3. 3

Full Circle

Matt looked at the date circled in red on the calender by his bed. Even after all this time, the anticipation of Amy's arrival made his breath catch in his throat and his pulse quicken. She was due to arrive in one week, the 17th of December, and stay for two weeks before going back to Florida. 

Last year, she had come a week early to help him and Jeff adjust to the loss of their mother. This would only be his second Christmas without her, but Amy as well as some of his other good friends had made sure he had other things to think about during the holiday season. 

Matt hopped off his bed and went across the hall to his brother's room and knocked on the door. When Jeff opened it, Matt slipped inside and turned off his stereo and grabbed Jeff's jacket before ushering him out of the room. 

"What are you doing?" Jeff asked, slipping on his coat and following Matt out to the car. 

"We're going Christmas shopping." 

+ ~~ + 

_* Monday, December 17th *_  
_* 1 p.m. *_

Snow crunched under their boots and small flakes still fluttered down from the sky to land on their heads as they hiked through the woods behind Matt's house. Amy jumped over a log, turning to watch Matt do the same. 

"Are you sure this is how you want to spend our first afternoon together?" he asked, slightly out of breath as he caught up with her. 

She nodded and dusted a few flakes of snow from his hair. "I haven't been back here since I was ten. It's so beautiful." Amy had just arrived from Florida a few hours ago. After unpacking and spending some quiet time with her father, she had bounded over to Matt and Jeff's house. After about half an hour of catching up with Jeff and Mr. Hardy, she had grabbed Matt's hiking gear from the front closet and handed it to him with a promising smile. And here they were now. 

"I guess it is. I mean, I used to come camping out here with my Dad all the time, so it's nothing new to me." 

She nodded silently, and pulled her pant leg down further over her boots. 

Matt chewed on his lower lip and slipped his hand into Amy's as they walked to the frozen lake. "Have I told you lately that you look beautiful with snow in your hair?" 

Amy laughed and rested her head against Matt's. "You just did." 

They walked in silence for awhile, thinking quietly about the rest of the day ahead and the next couple of weeks. She would be there until New Years Day, and each moment of their time together had been loosely scheduled around Jeff and their respective fathers. 

"Cameron has never been this beautiful in the winter," Amy mused out loud, her eyes sweeping over the evergreen trees and the frozen over lake that had just come into view. 

Matt nodded. "It's great. Mom would have loved it. She was always outside with her camera during the winter time." 

Amy watched the mask of indifference fall back over his face after he mentioned his mother. "You miss her." It was a statement, not a question, and his mask faltered. 

"Yeah," he whispered, visible tears springing into his eyes. He looked up quickly at the sky, trying to lighten his mood. "We're here," he said, stopping and letting go of Amy's hand. 

She pulled off her small backpack and set it down beside yet another fallen log. "I brought my camera. Most of the people at school have never seen snow before," she said, pulling out the camera he had given her the year his mother had died. It was the same one she'd used for years. Matt had given it to her because he knew she loved photography as much as Mrs. Hardy had. "You should have it. No one in our family liked taking pictures except her. Besides, you're really good," he had said when she'd turned down the gift. Holding the camera in her hand, Amy felt a small pang of sadness. Matt tried so hard to cover up the fact that he had been crushed by her death. 

Matt sat down on the log and watched her take snapshots of the lake, trees, sky and snow. Her face was so intense as she focused each shot, and he had never seen her look more beautiful than when she returned with cheeks flushed from excitement. "Come here," he said softly, patting the log. 

Smiling, she sat down beside him and sunk into his arms. Through the bulk of her jacket, he could feel her shivering slightly. "I think it's time to pull out the hot chocolate," he suggested, reaching over and taking two thermoses from the pack. "Drink it slow. It's probably still really hot." 

She nodded and took a small sip before placing it back on top of the bag. "Have you done all your shopping yet?" she asked, her tone light and casual as their hands joined again. 

"Almost. I still haven't gotten you what I've been dying to buy. And I still need to find a copy of WresleMania for Jeff." 

"I'm going with my dad tomorrow to finish my shopping. I need to find something for Mom. Your's and Jeff's presents are already wrapped and sitting under the Christmas tree. Dad was supposed to take them over there after we left," she grinned, twisting her fingers around his. 

"What did you get me?" he asked, leaning in like she was about to tell him a secret. 

She laughed and smacked him in the head with her free hand. "Christmas is in a few days! Then you can see for yourself!" 

+ ~~ + 

_*Christmas Eve*_

Standing in front of the open refrigerator door, Jeff leaned in as far as he could get without falling in. He knew there was a carton of orange juice in there somewhere, and he was bound and determined to find it. He was so immersed in his search that he didn't even notice that Amy had come in the room and was standing beside him, trying not to laugh. 

When he stood up, he jumped a mile. "Amy! What are you doing?" 

She burst out laughing and turned away, shaking her head. "Watching you. You are so hilarious." 

Jeff put on his best hurt look. "Why am I funny?" 

"You just are," she said, sitting down at the table and taking a Christmas cookie from a tray. 

"Hey, I'm fourteen! Matt was funny at fourteen, wasn't he?" 

Amy nodded. "Yep. Definitely." 

"You know my girlfriend Pam?" 

Thinking, Amy nodded. "Not personally, but yeah. Why?" 

Jeff looked slightly uncomfortable. "She has a crush on my brother." 

Amy laughed. "Don't be silly! She's your girlfriend!" 

"Well she comes over here all the time and always wants to see Matt," he said doubtfully, studying the carton of orange juice in front of him. 

"Jeffery Nero Hardy. Listen to me. You are great! Pam is a very lucky girl to be dating you!" 

Jeff looked a little happier at her words and then he wiggled his eyebrows. "You want me." 

She laughed, despite her best attempts not to. "Don't push it there, kiddo." 

"Kiddo?" he exclaimed indignantly. "You're two years older than me!" 

Patting his shoulder, Amy nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry." 

Jeff nodded and looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "You still want me." 

+ ~~ + 

_*Later that night*_

That night, Amy and Matt were sitting on the couch by the fire when Mr. Dumas entered the room. 

"Wow, you're actually *here*," he said with false shock. "I thought my daughter had abandoned me completely for the boy next door." 

Amy stood and hugged her dad, then kissed him on top of his head. "Now, Daddy, don't be silly. Why don't you go ahead and turn on the Christmas tree lights." 

Mr. Dumas smiled at his daughter and flicked a switch by the wall and the room was instantly lit with pinks, greens, yellows and blues. Amy curled back up on the couch and rested her head on Matt's shoulder. 

"Before the divorce, Amy's mother and I used to decorate the tree after she went to bed on Christmas Eve. That way, when she woke up in the morning, we told her Santa had been here to decorate for us. She always loved that story," he told Matt, looking at his daughter with a mixture of sadness and fondness. "But she's all grown up now. Got a boyfriend. She doesn't need Daddy anymore." 

Amy sighed. "I love you, Daddy. But I had to grow up sometime. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I have to use the bathroom," she said definitively, standing up and padding up the stairs. 

Matt looked up at Mr. Dumas, almost nervously. "You do approve of me, don't you sir?" he asked, his voice timid. 

The older man laughed and patted Matt on the shoulder. "Of course I do. You're great for my daughter. I just like messing with your minds." 

Matt chuckled. A few minutes later, Amy came back downstairs. She had changed into a pair of baby blue pajamas and put her hair in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck. "I'm going to go to bed so when I wake up I can open my presents from Santa," she said, kissing her father on the cheek. "Want to tuck me in Daddy?" 

Mr. Dumas shook his head. "That's what you have Matt for, baby." 

Amy gave her father one last hug and then took Matt's hand and let him lead her up to her room. He pulled back the covers while she braided her hair loosely. She crawled into bed and snuggled down, letting Matt give her a gentle kiss. "Ooh, can you give me Prickly?" she asked, pointing to a plush black teddy bear. "I always sleep with him," she explained as he handed her the toy. "Mom gave it to me before the divorce. He helps me remember her when I'm away." 

Matt chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Lucky bear," he grumbled as Amy clutched the bear to her. "Good night." 

"Night," she mumbled sleepily as Matt clicked the light off. 

"Sweet dreams." 

+ ~~ + 

_*Christmas Day*_

When Amy woke up the next morning, she felt a surge of excitement flow through her. It was Christmas morning and there were some pretty promising presents under the tree with her name on them. 

She hopped out of bed and changed quickly into a pale green sweater and a pair of black jeans. Running a brush through her wavy hair, she slipped it into a loose ponytail. She slipped on her Winnie the Pooh slippers and went down stairs, automatically grabbing a cup of coffee in the kitchen. 

"Morning, Daddy," she said, kissing her father on the top of his head and then picking up the portable telephone. "I'm going to call Mom," she told him. 

After wishing her mother a Merry Christmas, she sat down by the window and looked over at the Hardy's house, which was slowly beginning to light up. The window where their tree was sitting became illuminated and Jeff clicked on a light in his bedroom. 

Finishing her coffee, Amy took the cup to the sink and tried to get her mind on other things besides going over to Matt's in a couple hours. Like the presents under *her* tree. 

"Amy, get your shoes on," her dad said from the hallway. 

She turned around, seeing her father pulling his coat on. "Why?" 

"We're going over to the Hardy's for Christmas. All our presents have been moved over there." 

Raising her eyebrows, Amy peeked into the living room. Sure enough, all the presents were gone. "But I don't even have any makeup on!" she protested. 

"Then go get some on. Quickly. We're expected over there in about five minutes." 

+ ~~ + 

_*The day after Christmas*_

Matt stared up at his beautiful girlfriend as she talked about her shopping trip with her step-sister Tracy. Her face was completely into the story she was telling, and her hands were shifting with each empathetic statement. Matt was laying on his side on the bed, his head propped up with his hand. Amy was beside him, sitting Indian-style, completely wrapped up in her story. 

"And then she *kissed* Santa in the middle of the mall! I mean, okay, so he wasn't BAD looking, but come on! Santa! All the little kids were going completely crazy and there she was in a total lip lock. It was unbelievable." 

Matt chuckled and sat up, caressing her face gently. "You are unbelievable." 

She smiled coyly and lowered her eyelashes. "Why?" 

"You have so much enthusiasm. I want to be like you." 

Amy smiled and kissed him gently. "If you were like me, you wouldn't be like you." 

"So?" 

Suddenly, her eyes were serious. "I'm not in love with me. I'm in love with you." 

It was the first time that word had ever been exchanged between the two of them, and Matt felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. 

Eventually, he found his voice again. "I love you, too." 

He captured her lips with his and kissed her with everything he felt for her pouring from his mouth. Her lips parted and their tongues dueled with a passion that didn't want to be suppressed. His hands were working furiously on her hips and she lowered herself onto him. She straddled his waist and began running her hands longingly over his chest, still kissing him. 

Matt could feel himself losing control of his body, and he reluctantly pulled back a little from Amy's hands. "You have no idea how much I want you right now." 

She raised herself off of him and onto her side, looking at his pants. "Yes I do," she said wryly. 

He laughed nervously, and then rolled over and kissed her again, gently this time. "I want to be your first." 

"I want to be your first, too." 

Matt propped himself up and ran his fingers through her dark brown locks. "And you will be. But not like this. Not now. It's going to be special." 

She nodded and rested her head on his heaving chest. "When we're totally ready. Candlelight, music, roses, and . . . protection." 


	4. 4

_*October 31, 1993*  
*11 a.m.*_

"Amy, what are you doing here?" Matt exclaimed happily. She smiled back at him and came in the house, laughing at his wrestling costume. "What?" 

"Oh, nothing. Were you and Jeff wrestling again?" 

He nodded and shut the door behind her. "We pulled out our old characters of Wolverine and High Voltage." 

She laughed and pulled out a chair in the kitchen. "How's wrestling school going?" 

Matt set a glass of iced tea down in front of her and sat down. "Good. Jeff can't wait to graduate so he can join me. We're out for a few weeks right now, so I decided to stay at home with Jeff." 

Amy sipped her tea. "Well, college is treating me alright, I suppose. I haven't gained 15 pounds yet, but I've only been there for a little over a month." 

"Yeah, I was going to ask about that. Aren't you supposed to be in college right now?" 

"You're not the only one that has some time off. The professors felt like us freshmen needed to 're-evaluate our priorities'. So here I am." 

They sat in comfortable silence for awhile before Jeff came bursting in through the kitchen doors, sweaty and tired looking. His face lit up when he saw Amy in the kitchen. "Hey, Amy! I'd hug you, but I'd get you all sweaty." 

She grinned. "Practicing those moves?" 

"Yep." 

"Can you pin your brother yet?" she asked, winking at Matt. 

Jeff snorted. "I pin him more than he pins me, and he's in wrestling school!" 

All three of them laughed and Jeff joined them at the table. "What grade are you in now? Tenth?" Amy asked. 

"Yeah. It's not so great. The classes are a lot harder than they were last year." 

"Eleventh and twelfth are easy. Then you can go to wrestling school. And from there, you'll make history," she grinned. 

Jeff got up and poured himself a glass of water. "Actually, Dad said I could start wrestling school next semester as long as I didn't let it interfere with my school work. So I'd be in wrestling school and high school." 

"That's a lot to swallow. But I have faith in you. Both of you. Just don't forget me when you're famous," Amy said. 

"Are you crazy? We'll be best friends forever!" said Jeff, who had returned to the table with a big basket of orange and black wrapped Halloween candy. "Are you coming to the party tonight, Matt?" 

Amy's ears perked up. "Party? Where?" 

"Every Halloween my ex-girlfriend Pamela has a party and invites the whole city, basically. It doesn't usually get out of control because she's always been pretty young, but yesterday was her eighteenth birthday. I have a feeling this party's going to be a bit on the wild side." 

Matt shook his head. "I'd love to go, but I have to stay home and finish the patio furniture. Dad hurt his arm and asked me to have it finished tonight." 

"Do you want some help?" Amy asked, picking up a piece of candy. 

"Nah, it's busy work. All I have to do is finish painting the chairs and caulking the table legs. By the time I'm done I'll be high on paint fumes, so I'll just go to bed and sleep it off." He rubbed her hand and smiled. "Go to the party and keep an eye on my brother." 

+ ~~ + 

_*8 p.m.*_

The music was loud and the people were louder. No one had said anything to her or Jeff all night, except one guy who had asked her if she wanted to go upstairs with him. She had laughed and took a step closer to Jeff, who looked more like twenty instead of sixteen. The guy had shrugged and moved on. 

They were in the middle of the dance floor for the first time since they'd been there, moving to the pounding beat of the music. She really wished Matt could have been there, but Jeff was keeping her company. Matt had almost decided to come along when he saw what she was planning on wearing. "No one's going to touch my baby except me," he'd said protectively when she'd appeared at their door wearing a wine colored dress that left little to the imagination. 

The music changed and a slow song came on. Jeff held out his arms and she slipped into them, swaying with the beat. "I know I'm the wrong Hardy, but I can slow dance pretty good," Jeff said lightly in her ear. 

Amy laughed. "Jeff, I don't care which Hardy you are. You're both my best friends and I'll dance with either one of you any day. But you're right; you are pretty good at this." 

They danced in silence for the rest of the song and then headed to the kitchen to grab a drink. Pamela, Jeff's ex, was emptying out a brown shopping bag as the entered. 

"Hey, Jeff!" she said, throwing a guarded look at Amy. "Who's this?" 

"Pamela, this is Amy. Matt's girlfriend. Amy, this is my friend Pamela." 

Her eyes glittered. "Oh! The famous Amy Dumas. I get to meet you at last. My, you're much prettier than I thought you would be. I mean, you *are* dating the less handsome of the brothers," she said, flirtatiously patting Jeff on the arm. He moved away. 

Amy smirked. "Well, we are entitled to our own opinions." Pamela gave her an obviously fake laugh before turning her attention back to the shopping bag. 

"Do you want a drink? I just bought some Pineapple Orange Juice. I know not too many people want it, but I doubt you two want anything alcoholic." 

Jeff took the container from her and grabbed two glasses from the top cabinet. "This is perfect. Thanks." After pouring two glasses of the orangish drink and handing one to Amy, he darted out of the kitchen. She was laughing when they finally stopped at the opposite corner of the room. "What's so funny?" 

"That girl. You actually dated her?" 

Jeff shrugged defensively. "I was fourteen. She was my first girlfriend. Of course, she was also my *last* girlfriend . . . " 

"You're only sixteen. It'll happen," she said reassuringly. 

Jeff snorted. "Yeah. Eventually. I guess I'm just too picky. I want what you and Matt have, but it doesn't look like there's another perfect person like you out there anywhere." 

She blushed and looked away. "I'm not perfect. I'm just perfect with your brother. We change each other." 

"Oh my goodness! Amy Dumas! Come over here!" 

Amy looked up from her drink, trying to find the person that had called her. There was a girl a few feet away, waving her over anxiously. "Come on, Jeff. You've got to come with me," she whispered. They set their drinks down on the edge of the fireplace and went over cautiously to the group of girls. "Um . . . hi. Do I know you?" 

The blonde girl laughed as if Amy had made a joke. "Oh no, no! I'm sorry. I'm Christina Larrikson. I had the biggest crush on Matt Hardy for about four years. I asked him out about once a week. And he *always* said no. When I asked him why, he said he already had a girlfriend: AMY! That's you!" 

_*No shit*_ Amy thought. "Okay..." she said out loud. 

"When Pamela told me you were HERE I just couldn't believe it! I just had to meet the girl that has a hunk like Matt's undying devotion," she said in an exaggerated voice. 

Amy put on her most fake smile and tossed her hair. "Well here I am!" 

Christina laughed and tossed her hair harder. "So why are you here with Jeff? Did you and Matt break up?" 

Her voice was so hopeful that Amy genuinely laughed. "Sorry, hon, but no. Matt had to do something for his dad, so I came with Jeff to see what this party was all about. And meet some of their friends," she added as an afterthought. 

Christina looked over Amy's shoulder and a huge grin spread across her face. "Steve! Hang on, love, I'll be right there!" She turned back to Amy. "So lovely to meet you, but I have to go. Hope to see you around! And bring that handsome man of yours next time." 

As the troupe of blonde beauties passed, Amy rolled her eyes as Jeff laughed. "Well that was . . . superficial." 

They went back to their corner and gulped down the rest of their drinks, suddenly very thirsty. 

+ ~~ + 

_*November 1, 1993*_  
_*2 a.m.*_

There was a pain in her . . . well everywhere . . . and she felt like she was about to throw up. Her eyes felt glued shut and something about where she was wasn't right. She felt weird, like someone had hit her on the head repeatedly with a blunt object. Her legs were almost as heavy as her eyelids and she was cold. 

Finally she wrenched her eyes open, seeing nothing but darkness. She sat up quickly, no idea where she was. As she sat up she felt a rush of cold air hit her bare skin. 

. . . Bare? She felt blindly around, until her hand hit a lamp. Fumbling for the switch, she found it and clicked it on. She closed her eyes against the sudden brightness, fighting back a wave of dread. Something was terribly wrong. 

She looked down at herself first, a silent cry of shock on her lips. She was naked, in a bed, with a thin white sheet covering her lower body. She grabbed the sheet and pulled it around her, trembling as she turned to look at the body beside her. 

Amy closed her eyes and felt tears sting the back of her eyes. It was Jeff. 

She scanned the room for her clothes, then hopped out of the bed quickly, gathering up a piece here and a piece there. With unsteady hands, she put her clothes back on and walked to the bed, feeling like she'd just ran a mile. Her muscles hurt and she could barely walk. She turned the covers on her side of the bed back slowly, her worst fear confirmed when she saw the patch of blood staining the white sheets. 

"No," she whispered, holding up a hand to her mouth. How did this happen? She didn't remember anything. She went around to the other side of the bed and dropped down to her knees beside Jeff, and shook him gently. 

He groaned and opened his eyes slowly, a look of disorientation and confusion on his face. "What . . . ?" he looked down at himself and then at Amy, who had tear-stained cheeks and smudged makeup. "What happened?" He sat up and pulled the sheet around his mid-section, his eyes widening as he looked at the rumpled sheets beside him. "Did we?" 

She nodded and collapsed to the floor, burying her head in her arms. Jeff climbed out of the bed and pulled on his clothes, just as weak as she had been seconds ago. He stood over her, running his fingers worriedly through his hair. He wanted to console her, but nothing he could say would sound right. 

"What are we going to do, Jeff? What am I going to tell Matt?" she sobbed, her body starting to rock. "How am I going to explain something I don't even remember doing?" 

Jeff rubbed his head. "Are you even sure we did it?" 

"Dammit, Jeff, I think I'd know if I lost my fucking virginity!" 

"I'm sorry, Amy. God knows I'm sorry." 

She started crying even harder. "I know, I know. It's not your fault. I'm sorry." 

Jeff looked at the clock by the bed and sighed. "C'mon. We have to go home. We'll try to explain in the morning." 


	5. 5

The next morning came and the phone by her bed was ringing. "Hello?" she muttered into the receiver. 

"It's Jeff. Matt's been asking a lot of questions about the party. I think we need to tell him soon." 

"I'm on my way," she answered, hanging up the phone without saying goodbye. She pulled on her baggiest t-shirt and her favorite pair of jeans. Absently, she pulled her hair into a careless ponytail and put on her running shoes. She kissed her dad and went out the door, stopping nervously in front of the Hardy's door. She knocked and took a step back as Jeff's tired face appeared. 

"Hey. He's in his room." Amy nodded and entered the house, the scent familiar and homey. 

"How do you want to do this?" she asked. 

He shrugged. 

"I think I should talk to him. I'll tell him and see how he takes it. Why don't you wait outside the door and I'll tell you when it's safe to come in." 

"I don't want you to have to deal with this on your own. He's my brother, Amy, and you're my best friend." 

"You're still my best friend, too, but he's my boyfriend. And I cheated on him last night. With the brother that he loves more than anything. I have to be the one to tell him." Jeff nodded and they went slowly up the stairs together. Jeff slid down the wall and sat on the floor by his brother's door, while Amy warily turned the knob. 

Matt was sitting on his bed, wearing his favorite dark blue boxers and a grey muscle shirt, flipping through a magazine. When she came in, his face lit up and he quickly slid over, giving her room to sit down. "What's up?" 

She looked at him through misty eyes, and he instantly sobered up. "What's wrong?" Studying her hands, Amy tried to meet his eyes, but she couldn't. 

"Something happened last night. Something bad." 

"You can tell me," he said gently, lifting her chin with his finger and forcing her to look him in his deep brown eyes. The innocence and pure love that she saw in them was too much. She started crying, sobbing into his chest as he pulled her to him. "Did someone hurt you? C'mon, baby, talk to me." 

Amy closed her eyes and tried to steady her emotions. "I did something horrible, Matt. I — I wish I could take it back, I wish I could change everything." 

Matt was starting to get worried. "Did you kiss another guy or something?" 

She sobbed. "Worse." 

"Worse? What's worse, Amy? Tell me." His voice was starting to get sharper, less patient. 

"I — I slept with Jeff." 

"WHAT?" he yelled, pushing her off of him and jumping to his feet. "Why?" 

"I don't know," she sobbed, curling up into a little ball. 

"What do you mean you don't know?" 

"One minute we were sitting by the fireplace and talking, and then six hours later I woke up in bed with him. I don't remember anything!" 

Matt stopped pacing the floor and rubbed his face. "What did you have to drink?" 

"Only some juice. And I watched it come straight from the unopened container. There was nothing wrong with it. Then I set it down . . . Oh god. Someone spiked my drink, Matt! They must have! I would have *never* slept with Jeff otherwise. Please, Matt, you have to believe me!" she said desperately, hugging herself as she watched his face turn redder and redder. 

"You set it down? You never set a drink down at a party! You're the city girl, I would have thought you had enough sense to know that! What about Jeff? Did he set his down, too?" 

She nodded. 

"Damn! You two are a boxed set!" Amy stood up and grabbed Matt by the shoulders, fighting back a fresh batch of tears when he jerked away. 

"Please, Matt, know how sorry I am. I never meant to hurt you! None of this was ever supposed to happen!" 

He laughed, but there was no mirth in it at all. "I know you didn't mean to Amy. But it still happened. And I don't blame you. I don't. But at the same time, I can't just get this news and then shrug it off. We were supposed to wait for each other. But you lost the most precious gift you could have ever given me to my brother. I'm sorry if you think I'm overreacting, but I . . . I want you to leave. Please just go." He turned away from her before she could see the tears fall from his eyes. 

"Matt?" 

"Go. Please." Fresh tears streaked down her cheeks as she ran from his room and down the stairs, ignoring Jeff's questioning look. She ran out the front door, down the steps, across the lawn and into her house. Once the door shut behind her, she slid to the floor and sobbed, not stopping until her dad came in a few minutes later. 

"Amy? Is everything okay?" 

"I want to go back home, Daddy. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just can't be here anymore." 

Her dad looked shocked. "What about Matt?" 

"He doesn't want me around anymore than I want to be here." 


	6. 6

**Lyrics are from "I Don't Know You Anymore" by Savage Garden**

+ ~~ + 

Alone in his room, Matt couldn't stop the hot tears as they slid down his cheeks. He watched with a heavy heart as Amy threw her things into the back of her father's car before climbing into the front seat. Mr. Dumas came out a few minutes later and shot an angry look up at Matt's bedroom window before getting into the driver's seat and pulling out of the driveway. 

Part of him was screaming to run downstairs and do something — anything — to stop her from leaving. But an even bigger part of him was still stinging with the betrayal. He was very proud by nature, and he couldn't just take back the words he'd said. That wasn't the way it worked. 

Drying his tears and giving the puffiness in his face time to fade away, Matt grabbed the handle of his door, inhaling deeply before pushing the door open. Jeff was sitting on the floor, and he looked up as Matt came out. His brother stood up and started to speak, telling Matt how sorry he was and begging his forgiveness. 

Feeling tears well up in his eyes, Matt walked faster, reaching the stairs and jogging down them. Jeff followed, but Matt refused to talk to him. He just couldn't bring himself to look into his little brother's eyes, knowing what he knew. 

"Amy's gone, isn't she?" Jeff asked, trying desperately to make eye contact with Matt. 

Matt spun around and looked Jeff in the eyes. "What do you think?" he asked, his voice filled with anger and disappointment. 

"Aren't you going to make her come back?" 

Matt scoffed. "If she wants to come back she will. If she doesn't, she won't." 

@~~~~~~ 

_*May 1998*  
*Four years later*_

_+ ~~ + I would like to visit you for awhile  
Get away and out of this city  
Maybe I shouldn't have called, but someone had to be the first to break + ~~ +_

"Hello?" 

"Is this Amy?" 

"Yes. Who is this?" 

"Amy, it's me. Matt." 

Amy's voice failed and all she managed to do was gape open-mouthed at the phone in her hand. She swallowed heavily and cleared her throat. "Um, hi, Matt." 

"How long has it been?" His voice sounded over casual. 

"Almost five years," she answered immediately, flinching at how cold her voice sounded. 

It was silent for a second. "Look, I would really like to see you. I'm in Fort Lauderdale right now and found you in the phone book. Could I come over?" 

She bit her lower lip. "Why?" 

"I just want to see you, Amy. Please?" 

"Okay. Do you have something to write the address with?" 

+ ~~ + 

_+ ~~ + I don't know you anymore  
I don't recognize this place  
The picture frames have changed and so has your name  
We don't talk much anymore  
We keep running from the pain  
But what I wouldn't give to see your face again + ~~ +_

There was a knock on the door about an hour later and Amy nervously checked her appearance in the mirror in the hall. She pulled the door open slowly to find Matt Hardy standing nervously on the second step. Forcing a small smile, she stepped back and let him in. "Hi." 

"Hey," he said, looking around before his gaze settling on her. His eyes widened a little at her appearance, but he didn't say anything. He followed her into the living room where he sat down in a peach colored recliner by the picture window. She sat down on the floor, her back against the couch, noticing with a pang of sadness how rigid and uncomfortable he looked. 

"This is awkward," she said after a few seconds of tense silence. 

Matt laughed and looked down at her. "Still prefer the floor to chairs?" 

She shrugged. "Our situations are reversed. The first time I was in your house, I was in your favorite chair. Now you're in mine." 

He smiled and licked his lower lip. "That was 15 years ago." 

"Fourteen," she automatically corrected, then laughed at herself. "I have a lot of time on my hands these days," she shrugged. "So . . ." 

Matt leaned forward and started at his shoes. A famous nervous habit of his, she noticed with a faint grin. "I saw your name on the roster," he said suddenly, looking at her. 

She nodded. "My first televised match is Monday night in Albany." 

"Really? Jeff and I are going to be there, too. We have a non-title match." 

Amy nodded again. Their lives had changed so much since the last time they'd been together. Matt and Jeff were professional wrestlers now, going by the name of the Hardy Boyz and she was about to enter the WWF as Lita. 

"Do you win?" 

"No," he laughed. "So, where exactly did you come up with Lita?" 

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just came up with her." 

"You sure changed a lot to become her," he said. 

He was referring to her hair that she had died red with pink highlights. "Well, I wanted to become a whole new person. Someone I could escape into. You haven't seen this yet," she said, pulling up the sleeve on her shirt to reveal her shoulder tattoo. 

"Whoa!" he said, jumping up and getting a closer look. "Don't you think that's going a little too far?" he asked, his eyes wide. 

"Hey, I did that because I wanted it," she said defensively, pulling down her sleeve. And what about you? You never died *your* hair or let it grow long before you started in the WWF." 

He shrugged. "You're right. Sorry." He walked around her living room, stopping to look at all the framed pictures on her walls. "Wow, these are all wrestling shots." 

She nodded. "Yeah. Those right there are from my audition match," she said, pointing to the group of pictures on his left. 

"Your audition match was with Chyna?" he said in disbelief. 

"She put me over," she said, stretching out her legs before standing up and joining him. 

He shook his head. "Chyna doesn't put people over." 

"Well, she cut me a break. Joanie is a pretty cool person." 

Matt shrugged, looking at the pictures again. "Wow, you got great elevation on that moonsault," he said with admiration. 

"I'm a high-flyer," she said with a shrug. "It's been hard, but I had a great trainer." 

"I didn't even know you were interested in the business." 

She sat back down, folding her legs under her. "I wasn't. But I wasn't making it as a musician, so I quit. I had to make ends meet, and wrestling seemed like a good way to get some quick cash. I have a really good friend that offered to give me lessons for free, so I've been training for about a year and a half." 

Matt sat back down in his chair with a final sweep of the room. "Don't you have any personal pictures? These are all of your dark matches." 

"I know. I don't have much of a social life." She thought back silently of all the pictures she used to have on her walls back in Cameron. They were all of her, Matt and Jeff. A lot of things had changed. 

Matt was silent for a minute. "You know, it's sad." 

"What?" 

"That I don't know you anymore." 

She nodded, feeling her eyes mist over with tears. Damn! It had been almost a year since she'd cried over him. She quickly fought them back and looked up again. "Yeah. It's been a really long time since we've talked." 

"We haven't talked since that day." 

Neither one of them added anything to that statement, but they both shuddered with the reminder of the day that they had ended their relationship. "Have you forgiven me for that yet?" she asked quietly, refusing to meet his eyes until after she'd asked the question. 

He nodded. "I forgave you both the day I found out. But it was too hard to be around you knowing what I knew." 

Amy brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "I'm glad you came." 

"Well, I was sick of running from it. And I missed you." 

+ ~~ + 

Matt left an hour later, after giving her his new unlisted number and promising to catch up with her in Albany. After he had gone, she picked up the phone and dialed the number he'd given her. 

It rang on the other end and a man picked up. "Hello?" 

"Is this Jeff?" 

"Yes . . . is this Amy?" 

She smiled. "Yeah, Jeff, it's me." 

"God, Ames. Hey!" 

She laughed, happy to hear the sound of his voice. "I wanted to call you when I saw your first match on RAW, but your number had been changed." 

"I wanted to call you, but yours was changed too!" 

They both laughed before sobering up. "How have you been?" she asked. 

"Good. I've missed you though." 

She nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "I missed you, too. Your brother was just here." 

"He said he was going to try to find you. How did it go?" 

"Pretty good. Certainly not like old times, though." 

"No I guess not," he said, his voice sad. 

"I'm just glad you two finally got to talk. Did you talk about . . . ?" 

"Yeah," she said, readjusting the phone on her ear. "But not much. We both agreed that we want it to be behind us." 

Jeff was quiet for a minute. "You know, after you left, a lot changed. Matt didn't talk to me for about a month. He wouldn't talk to anyone. He shut himself up in his room and blasted Pearl Jam." 

She smiled, remembering that she had done almost the exact same thing. "He was never mad at you," she said matter-of-factly. 

"I know. He didn't blame us for what happened. But he still felt betrayed. I guess I can't blame him. I probably would have felt the same way if I'd been on the other end of it." 

"Me, too. Hey, guess what?" she asked, trying lighten up the mood. 

"What?" 

"I'm coming to Albany Monday night." 

"For RAW?" 

"Yep. I have my first ever live match." 

Jeff laughed. "Matt told me your name was on the roster. Who are you fighting?" 

"Stephanie." 

"McMahon?" 

"The one and only," she answered. 

"Wow. What's the set up for it?" 

Amy kicked her sneaker out of her way as she went to the refrigerator for a soda. "She gets jealous of the fact that I already have so many male admirers and I just got there." 

"Sounds like Steph. So who are your admirers?" 

"Chris Jericho, Edge and Christian, and Essa Rios." 

"Ooh. Sounds like it's going to be interesting." 

She smiled. "I hope so. I'll try to catch up with you guys Monday night." 

"Great. I'd like that a lot. Have you changed your appearance for your character? I know a lot of wrestlers do." 

"I'm sure Matt will tell you all about it when he gets back," she grinned. "If not, you'll see for yourself." 

"Okay," he said slowly. "If I remember correctly, that means I've got to see it to believe it." 

Laughing, she said, "Jeff, you always could read me like a book." They both laughed. "It's been great, but I've got to get packing." 

"Alright. It's been really great talking to you." 

"Sure has been. I'll see you Monday." 

They hung up and Amy smiled. Maybe things weren't going to be so bad after all. 


	7. 7

Before she knew it, Sunday night had already come and she was already in Albany. She didn't remember much of the plane ride from Florida, but here she was in front of the hotel at 9 p.m. Walking with purpose towards the elevator, she pressed the button and took a step back. A few seconds later, the door opened and she stepped inside, setting her one heavy bag down with a thud on the floor. 

"Why in the world are you carrying that monster?" a voice asked behind her. She spun around and jumped at the smiling face of The Rock. 

She tried not to blush, but she could feel the heat creeping up her face. "I'm not a tiny flower; I won't break," she said. 

He shrugged. "Well okay then." He extended his hand. "Dwayne Johnson." 

She smiled and shook his hand. "Yeah, I know. I'm Amy Dumas." 

It was his turn to smile. "Yeah I know. Lita." 

Amy dropped her hand back down to her side and studied the wall of the elevator. A second later, the door opened and they both exited the elevator. "I'm going this way," he said, pointing to the right. 

"I'm going that way," she said pointing to the left. 

"Okay, then I'll see you when I see you. Good luck tomorrow night," he said with a smile and his customary eyebrow raise. 

Feeling flustered, she nodded and carted her bag awkwardly down the hallway, dropping it on the floor in front of her door, rummaging through her small handbag for the cardboard access key. 

"Do you need some help, ma'am?" 

Amy stopped completely in her tracks at the sound of the polite drawl behind her. "Jeff?" she asked, turning around slowly. 

"Amy! My goodness! Hey!" Jeff grinned at her and wrapped her in a tight hug and then held her at arms length, looking her up and down. "Wow, you really did go all out. You look great!" 

She laughed, feeling herself beam. "Thanks. Wow, you look even better in person than you do on TV!" 

He chuckled low in his throat and hugged her again. "It's so great to finally see you again." 

Amy nodded again and felt her hand close around the cardboard key in her bag. "Found it," she said triumphantly. She unlocked the door and Jeff carried her bag inside for her, dropping it on the floor beside her queen sized bed. "Thanks." 

"No problem. You look beat, so I'll leave you alone," he said taking a couple of steps toward the door. 

"Alright. Do you want to meet tomorrow morning for breakfast?" 

He nodded. "Sounds great. I'll come get you at about eight?" 

"Sounds good to me." 

"Okay," he said, leaning in and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "See you in the morning." 

+ ~~ + 

The next morning, Amy nervously brushed her hair in front of the bathroom mirror, her mind running over possible scenarios for the morning. Maybe Matt wouldn't want to talk to her. Maybe seeing his two betrayers at one table would be too much. Maybe he would want to pick their relationship up again. Maybe Jeff wanted to be more than friends . . . 

Shaking her head, she set the brush down and double checked her outfit in the mirror. She had to admit that she looked pretty damn good. She was wearing a white string halter top that showed off her tanned stomach and a pair of black flair jeans. Her hair now shined with the fresh attention of the brush, and she had on only the faintest trace of makeup. Pushing all previous thoughts out of her head, she grabbed her handbag and went down to the hotel dining room, immediately spotting Matt and Jeff signing autographs by the buffet table. 

Jeff looked up as she entered and smiled, waving her over. They signed the last glossy picture for a girl that looked about twelve or thirteen and then sat down at a table in the corner. Matt hadn't looked at her since she'd come in, and when they sat down, he took his first tentative look. Seeing her already watching him, he offered a small smile before standing up. "I'm going through the line before any one else comes in. Coming?" 

Standing, Amy and Jeff shot each other a look behind Matt's back as they grabbed their plates from the buffet server. Piling her plate up with blueberry muffins and waffles, Amy grabbed a cup and filled it with orange juice before returning to the table. Matt and Jeff joined her a second later, gaping at her plate which held more food than both of theirs combined. 

"Geez, Amy. Want a little plate with that food?" Jeff teased. "How in the world do you stay so skinny?" 

Washing down a bite of muffin, Amy shrugged. "Beats me. I guess all those flips off the ropes helps." 

Matt grinned and ripped off a piece of her waffle and shoving it in his mouth. 

"Hello! You have your own!" 

He shrugged. "I wanted yours." 

Amy looked down at her plate, trying to suppress a huge grin. Things were looking up. 

+ ~~ + 

Nervously checking her watch, Amy concentrated on breathing instead of the cameras that were in front of her, about to be broadcasting to a live audience. Matt and Jeff were by her side, and each one took one of her hands as the cameraman told her she had three minutes. 

"You'll do great," Matt said, squeezing her hand and looking into her eyes. "Don't worry. If you forget, Jake has the cue cards and Sue will direct you where to go. Essa and Jericho are around the corner waiting, and if you have to improvise, they'll follow your lead." 

Gratefully, Amy nodded. That morning's breakfast was churning violently in her stomach, and she felt almost like she was under water. With one last encouraging look, Matt and Jeff left her in the hallway with the camera crew. "In three, two . . . " 

**With an authoritative flip of her hair, Lita walked down the hallway, turning the corner and running into a strong looking man with long blond hair. She huffed air between her teeth and looked the man up and down. There was another Mexican looking man beside him, and they were both staring at her with interest. **

"Excuse me, but you're blocking my way," she said, getting ready to push through the two men when a hand stopped her. 

"Excuse *me*, but I don't believe we've met. I'm Chris Jericho and this is Essa Rios." 

She rolled her eyes, not even bothering to feign interest. "I'm late. Move." 

Jericho chuckled. "Relax, girl. You've got all night." 

Lita smirked and put her hands on her hips. "But you don't. If you don't move, I'm going to make you both very sorry." 

Jericho and Essa threw their hands up and let her go through. Halfway down the hallway, she turned back and gave them a sultry smile. "I'm Lita." 

Once the cameras were off her back, Amy sagged against the wall, her heart racing. Matt and Jeff turned the corner and met her, huge smiles on their faces. "You did great! You should've heard all the cat-calling back there. Hurry up or you're going to miss Stephanie's reaction!" Jeff said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the first open door they came to. There were several other people there, including Adam Copeland and Jason Reso, the two guys she'd be doing a scene with later. 

Jason looked up as they entered and grinned. "You just missed Steph's scene. But we got it on tape. Hang on and I'll rewind it." 

Amy sank down on the floor as Matt and Jeff leaned up against the wall by the television. A few seconds later, the boss's daughter Stephanie came on the screen. She was pacing angrily, as Amy saw herself disappear around the corner on Stephanie's television. 

"Who does she think she is? She just can't come in here and take MY spotlight! This I will not stand for! I'm a McMahon, dammit!" 

The camera flashed to J.R. and Jerry Lawler, the two announcers. "Man, oh man! I've never seen Stephanie that jealous of another woman!" J.R. said. 

"I don't know about that, but Lita is hot! If she doesn't want Essa or Jericho, maybe I could introduce myself later!" Jerry said excitedly. 

"And maybe you could keep dreaming," J.R. deadpanned. 

The tape stopped and Lita squealed. "This is so exciting!" 

Matt sat down on the floor beside her and squeezed her shoulders. "It'll only get better." 

She looked up and caught the hidden meaning behind his words. With a smile, she looked away, feeling her face heat up. 

+ ~~ + 

The rest of her scenes went great and before she knew it, Stephanie was in the middle of the ring challenging her to a match. Pumping herself up, she let Matt and Jeff give her a hug before she stormed out on the stage, in full Lita mode. 

**Lita charged down the ramp, staring contemptuously at Stephanie as she slid into the ring. She grabbed the microphone from the princess and held it up to her mouth. "You want to fight me." It wasn't a question, but an incredulous statement. "You've got to be kidding me." **

Stephanie's eyes shot fire as Lita's eyes danced with laughter. "Fine. But I hope Daddy won't mind watching his daughter get her ass kicked!" 

Lita threw down the microphone and locked up with Stephanie. They circled the ring a few times before Lita kicked Stephanie in the midsection. The woman went down with a thump, holding onto her stomach. Standing, she tossed her hair out of her eyes and tried to slap Lita. 

Stepping back, Lita grabbed Stephanie's arm and twisted it until the woman was yelling out in pain. Then she dropped her arm and delivered a DDT. Stephanie wasn't moving, but instead of going for the cover right away, Lita dragged the other woman to the corner of the ring where she climbed up on the top rope and back flipped off, landing right on the heart of Stephanie. Flipping the woman over, Lita hooked her leg and watched the referee slide to the floor and deliver the three count. 

The bell rang and Lita took a step back, raising her arm in victory. Stephanie called herself a wrestler? She hadn't even gotten a hit in! 

Backstage, Amy was met with a round of applause and several hugs. 

"That was the quickest victory I've ever seen! Great job!" Vince McMahon said, coming around the corner to congratulate her. "We'll be seeing a lot more of you, young lady." 

Vince walked away and Amy was swallowed up again by Matt and Jeff. After a few more minutes of graciously accepting praise and congratulations, Matt leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Shower and then come into mine and Jeff's locker room. We need to talk." 

She nodded, and slipped away from the people, heading to her locker room. After a quick shower to get the baby oil and sweat off, Amy dressed in a pair of sweats and headed down to the door that proclaimed the name "Hardys". 

As soon as she knocked on the door, it opened and Jeff invited her in, looking very serious. "Sit down," he said, pointing to the benches in the middle of the floor. 

"What's this about?" she asked, noticing that Matt's expression was as serious as his brother's. 

"Jeff and I have been talking and we've decided a couple of things. Since you've reentered our lives, there are a few concerns that we shared, and that you probably have too," Matt said, looking almost uncomfortable. "First of all, I just want to tell you guys that what happened between the three of us hurt. A lot. But I've gotten over it and I don't think it's fair to keep reminding you two of it. It wasn't anyone's fault, and there's nothing we can do to change it now. Everything happens for a reason." 

Jeff nodded. "And we also agreed that it wouldn't be fair to any of us if we let the past interfere with the present and the future. So . . . " 

He pulled out a kitchen knife from his duffel bag and Amy heard herself gasp. What in the hell was he going to do with that thing? 

"If you're willing," started Matt, "we'd like to make a pact." 

"A pact?" she echoed. 

"A pact," Jeff confirmed. 

"That the past will remain in the past and that we'll only concentrate on the future. And that we'll be best friends again. Because, Amy, I've been absolutely miserable without you. You've always been my best friend, and I don't want that to end with one stupid mistake." 

Amy felt tears sting the back of her eyes and all she could do was nod. 

"So, I'll cut Matt's palm, Matt will cut yours, and you'll cut mine. Then we'll mix the blood to seal the pact." 

Feeling like a weight had sunk down in her stomach, she nodded. "Okay. This is the only way to put the past behind us." 

Scooting forward on the bench, Amy turned her head as Jeff began to cut Matt's hand from his middle finger down to the end of his palm. The cut was shallow, but a good amount of blood rose to the surface. Matt winced, but took the knife from his brother. Amy held out her shaking hand and felt Jeff's hand tighten around her wrist. The blade dug into her middle finger and Matt pulled it across her palm. It hurt like hell, but it was worth it. After a few seconds of adjusting to the pain, Amy cut Jeff's hand. 

Once all three of them were bleeding, they clasped hands and felt it sting as the blood mingled and then dropped onto the floor in tiny droplets. 

"Now there's nothing but the future," Matt said as they all looked around at each other. 

Jeff smiled. "And the future has got to be better than the past." 


	8. 8

Back at the hotel, Amy put a pack of ice on her still throbbing hand and settled on the bed with the remote. After flipping through four old movies, three bad sitcoms and some really cheesy music video station, she turned off the television and stared at the black screen. Looking down at her hand, she could see that it was still bleeding slightly from under the bandage. 

Her mind wouldn't stay away from that afternoon and from the look on Matt's face when it was all over with. Maybe, somehow, their pact would come true. Maybe they really could put the whole thing behind them. 

The clock by her bed told her it was a little after one in the morning, but she couldn't sleep. She had to drive to the airport at eight that morning to go back to Florida. Matt and Jeff would go back to North Carolina and they would get on with their lives. Then in two days, she'd go to Houston, Texas for Smackdown!, where she'd have her second live match. From there, it was going to be a whirlwind of action, with live appearances in Texas and some publicity stuff in New York that would take up all of her weekend and half of the next week. 

"It's a good thing this is a high paying gig," she muttered as she rolled over on her stomach, sleep finally catching up with her. 

+ ~~ + 

At the same time Amy was falling asleep in her room, Matt and Jeff were wide awake in theirs. 

"How do you think Thursday night will go?" Jeff asked from the floor by his bed. 

"Smackdown is going to be great. We'll be two time Tag Team Champs and our ratings will soar. It'll be awesome." 

Jeff nodded. "We're already in fifth place in the WWF.com polls. That's pretty good, considering our competition. Rock, Stone Cold, Undertaker, Triple H, Mankind. Them are some odds, man." 

Matt rolled over on his stomach and pounded his pillow lightly with his fist. "Sure as hell is. How high do you think Amy is going to go?" he asked, trying to keep his voice light and sound as if it didn't really matter to him. He heard Jeff chuckle lightly from his bed. 

"I don't know. If she's a ho then she won't be too popular. But if she starts hanging out with some real good competition, like us, she'll soar. What she needs to stay away from is relationship storylines." 

"Yeah. None of these guys in this business are good enough for her." His voice was heavy and carried a lot of extra meaning. 

Jeff rolled on his back, wincing as his cut hand brushed across a snag in the pillowcase. "You still care about her, don't you?" 

"Are you serious, Jeff? Of course I still care about her. We go back a hell of a long way. I really thought I was over her until I saw her again. I guess it's my own fault for letting her go in the first place." 

Jeff was quiet for a second. Amy obviously still meant so much to him. Everytime he heard Matt talk like that about her, it pulled something in his heart. It was his fault things were like this, and no pact in the world was going to make the guilt he felt just vanish. 

+ ~~ + 

It was 11 p.m. Thursday night, and the spirits were high. Amy, Matt, Jeff, Jason, Adam, and Joanie were hanging out at some party about ten minutes from the hotel. Amy had consumed one drink too many, and everything seemed hilarious to her. Joanie was almost to the point that she was, and Jeff was long past drunk. Matt had only had one or two drinks, being the designated driver. Adam and Jason were most likely going to pass out on a couch or follow some girl back to her hotel room, so there was no need to worry about them. 

Jeff was playing around with a cherry, making everyone laugh by trying o tie the stem in a knot with his tongue. All he'd managed to do so far was drop it into his drink and almost swallow it. 

Finally Matt tried, unsuccessfully of course. 

"Amateurs," Amy muttered, grabbing the cherry stem from Matt's tongue. She placed it on the tip of her own tongue and expertly tied it into a knot. 

Everyone stopped and stared at her with wide eyes. "How did you do that?" Jeff asked, sounding more like "Howdiyodofat?" 

"Well, when you're learning to wrestle in Mexico, you pick up a few tricks along the way." 

She grabbed another drink and held it up in the air. "To a great night of wrestling," she said, smiling at everyone. They all raised their glasses and downed the drinks as Amy reached for another one. 

+ ~~ + 

Matt sighed and went around to the passenger side of the rental car to help his brother out. Jeff stood up, wobbling a bit on his feet, but looking mildly steady. He opened the back door of the car to help Amy out, only to hear her snoring rather loudly. 

"Great," he groaned, leaning in and shaking her. "Amy, wake up." 

"Fuck you," she grunted. 

Sighing, Matt reached in and scooped her into his arms, then shutting the car door. "Fine. I'll just have to carry you in." She was light in his arms, but every time she breathed out he smelled the alcohol on her breath. She was going to have one serious hangover the next morning. 

Jeff stumbled behind him as they made their way to the hotel room. Everyone was giving them weird glances and stares, but Matt ignored them. Hey, they deserved to party once and a while! 

As soon as the door opened to their room, Jeff made a beeline for his bed, sinking down on the covers with a sigh. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Matt opened the adjoining door to Amy's room, turning on a light as he set her on the bed. He pulled the covers down and slid her under them, then covered her up. 

"Matt," she moaned suddenly, sitting up slowly. 

"What is it?" he asked softly, pushing her hair back and holding her face in his hands. 

"I love you . . ." she whispered in a barely audible voice. 

** Oh no, oh crap ** Matt thought to himself. She was drunk off her ass! What was he supposed to say to that?" 

"It's okay, Amy, go to sleep." 

Her eyes were closed, but she furrowed her eyebrows. "Sleep? I don't want to sleep." 

Matt chuckled. "You need to sleep, Ames." 

"But I'd rather . . ." 

"What?" 

Her body was starting to slump, but she still had strength enough to reach out and press her lips to his. For a second, he forgot who and where he was. All he knew was this familiar feeling, and the memories it brought back. 

Then reality came crashing back like a blow to the head and he pulled away. "Sleep." He gently pushed her back on the bed and turned out the light. 

"Stay," she murmured, grabbing on to his shirt. "Please don't make me spend another night alone . . ." 

What else could he do? He took his shirt off and climbed into the bed beside her, trying not to think about what he was doing. She automatically turned around and found her way into his arms, her head burying into his shoulder. He sighed and closed his eyes. There was no way he was going to sleep tonight. 

+ ~~ + 

He woke up the next morning to the sounds of Amy emptying the contents of her stomach into the hotel toilet. He scrambled out of bed and went into the bathroom, wetting down a washcloth with cool water. He bent down behind her and pulled her hair off the back of her neck, then pressed the cloth to the flushed skin. If she even noticed his presence, she didn't acknowledge it at all. She continued to retch, and he held her wild hair back. 

About fifteen minutes later, the heaving stopped, and she sank down on the floor of the bathroom, a moan escaping her lips. "God, what did I do last night? Drink the club out of business?" 

Matt chuckled softly and pulled her to him. "Close." 

She forced a tiny smile and looked up at him. "Thank you for staying with me last night." 

He shook his head and waved it off with his hand. "Don't worry about it. I knew you would be in bad shape this morning." 

She nodded and grabbed her stomach again. "Oh no. Not again." 

+ ~~ + 

Matt didn't go into his own room until around 11:30 that morning. Jeff was sitting on his bed, a cloth draped across his forehead, his skin still flushed. 

"Hey baby brother. You okay?" 

Jeff groaned. "Yeah. But I swear Matty, if I puke one more time I'm gonna do something drastic." 

Matt laughed and sat down beside his brother on the bed. "That bad, huh? Sorry I wasn't here to help." 

"Did you spend the night in Amy's room?" he asked. 

"Yeah. She was in bad shape this morning." 

Jeff nodded. "I don't remember anything about last night except for the cherry stem thing. But I guess she did drink a lot." 

"She's better now. She realized that she had no makeup on, was half naked, and puking into a toilet and practically shoved me out of the room," he laughed. 

"Did you guys make up last night?" Jeff asked, too worn out to make his tone suggestive. 

Matt shook his head. "No. She was completely wasted and said she didn't want to be alone." 

"Okay. I bet she kissed you at least once, though, right?" 

His face reddening, Matt barely nodded. "How'd you know?" 

"I have a lot of experience with being drunk. You always do things you really want to do but don't have the guts to do sober. Did that make sense?" 

In her room, Amy popped another Advil, then looked at herself in the mirror. She still looked like hell, but she didn't have a lot of time to make herself up. She was leaving for the airport with Matt and Jeff in a half an hour. 

Grinning like a madman, she thought about the week that was ahead of her. A week in Cameron with Matt and Jeff, back in their home. She never thought she'd set foot in that house after what had happened all those years ago. 

Refusing to let memories of the past get her down, she instead concentrated on the positive. Humming one of her favorite Pearl Jam songs, she threw the rest of her stuff into a bag and went into Matt and Jeff's room to announce that she was ready. 


	9. 9

The house looked exactly the same as it had how ever many years ago it had been since she'd last been inside. Their father's personal things had been moved out, as he was now living in a beach side home in Florida. As Amy set her bags down on the floor by the door, she was struck by how little had changed. 

"Not much for redecorating, are you?" she asked, eyeing everything in the foyer. 

Jeff shrugged and pushed his purple hair out of his eyes. "Not really. Don't have the time. Our rooms are different, though," he said. 

Smiling, Amy went walked slowly into the living room and through to the kitchen. The walls were still a pale blue and the tile was sparkling white. They still had the same oak table and the matching chairs with dark blue seat cushions. The glasses were still in the upper shelf above the counter, still stacked in order of tallness. "Wow, for two wild guys you sure don't lack order." 

"Yeah well we never saw any reason to change things. We're not home all that often anyway." 

She rolled her eyes. "I've noticed. I've been home maybe four days out of the past fifteen. But I'm not complaining. I love this life." 

Matt nodded. "And you'll get used to not being home. The road will become more friendly than the walls of your house sometimes." 

The three of them went up to the guest bedroom where Amy would be staying and set her stuff on the floor. "It's nothing wonderful, but it'll do," Jeff said as Amy walked around the room looking at everything. 

"It's great, don't worry about it. It's got a bed and a mini fridge. You probably won't see me for the rest of the week," she grinned. 

"Okay. Well I'm a growing boy, so I need to go find me some grub," Jeff said, turning to the door. "It's a big house, Ames. Don't get lost." 

He left and Amy laughed. "He's still a nut." 

"Definitely." 

There wasn't much to say, so they both just stood there awkwardly, not looking at the other. Amy's mind was working over-time wondering what this silence was all about. Finally she decided that she was being silly and looked up at Matt to find him already watching her. 

"Well, um, I think I'm going to ... get some sleep," she said, surprisingly finding that she really was tired. 

"Okay. Have a nice nap," he smiled. 

He walked out the door and she yawned, curling up on the bed and pulling a cover over her. She was asleep a few minutes later. 

+ ~~ + 

Half an hour after he'd left her in the room, Matt found himself in front of the door again. There was this unexplainable urge inside of him to go in and see her while she was sleeping. You could tell a lot about a person when they slept. That was when they let their guards down. 

Jeff was a perfect example of that. When he was awake his shields were up. He was tough and fearless. But when he was asleep, he looked like a vulnerable baby. 

Finally, he pushed to door open as quietly as he could, hoping she was still asleep. She was, so he shut the door behind him and sat down in the chair next to her bed. Her hair was fanned out on the pillow and she was snoring very softly. Her face was relaxed and peaceful, and a faint smile was on her lips. Every once and awhile she would move in her sleep and the smile would widen. Apparently, she was having a good dream. 

She rolled over again and a lock of hair dropped down across her face. Matt's breath caught in his throat. She was so beautiful. An angel that had reentered his life. Then something hit him. 

She had come into his life a very long time ago, and had abruptly left after a few years. And now she was back in. There had to be some reason for her to be there. After being without her for so long she was suddenly here again and he couldn't even bring himself to tell her what he felt. 

Leaning over, he brushed his fingers gently across her lips and then traced her cheekbones. "I love you," he whispered, his voice quivering. She sighed in her sleep, her head moving into his caresses. "I missed this so much. I missed being here and touching you," he continued, his fingers gently playing in her hair. "And I'm so sorry that it took me so long to realize what I lost. But it's probably too late now." 

She started to move again, and her eyes fluttered open, stopping on Matt. 

"Did I wake you? I'm sorry," he said softly, not even bothering to move his hand. 

She shook her head, tears forming in here eyes. "I've been awake since you came in. I heard everything." 

Matt felt his cheeks burn, and forced his eyes away from hers. "Oh," was all he could manage. 

"Did you mean it?" she asked. 

"Every word," he whispered. 

She sat up and took his chin in her hand, forcing him to look at her. Then she shocked the hell out of him by pulling him down for a kiss. 

The moment her lips touched his again, he felt like his whole world had finally been completed. She was here, with him, and they were kissing. And this time she wasn't drunk! It was so perfect. And it felt so right, like he finally knew what he was truly meant to do in life. He was meant to love her. 

+ ~~ + 

Jeff knew something was up immediately when Amy came down to the kitchen with a huge smile on her face. It was clinched when Matt came down seconds later with a matching smile. 

"Did you guys get back together?" he asked, trying to keep the hope out of his voice. 

Matt took Amy's hand and nodded. 

"YES!" Jeff shouted, jumping up and down and pumping his fist in the air. "About damn time!" 

Amy laughed as Jeff continued to dance and jump around the kitchen before hugging them both very tightly. "Jeff, calm down, buddy. You're going to pull something," Amy laughed, giving Jeff a kiss on the cheek. 

"You're right. I'm just so happy! You have no idea how much shit that takes off my shoulders. Oh I love you guys." 

"And we love you, lil bro," Matt said. 

And everyone was happy in Hardyville. 

+ ~~ + 

Three days later, Amy was reading a novel on the couch when Matt peeked his head into the room. "Amy. Come here for a second," he said, extending his hand. She put a bookmark in her place and stood up, taking his hand and letting him lead her up the stairs. Reaching his bedroom door, he stopped. 

"Now you have to close your eyes. No peeking." 

She nodded and dutifully put her hands over her closed eyes, smiling at the mystery. Matt opened the door and guided her inside. There was soft music playing that she didn't recognize, and a faint aroma of roses met her nose. 

"Okay, you can open them." 

Opening her eyes, Amy gasped. "Oh Matt . . ." 

The room was completely covered in candles. His shelves and tables held candles of blue, red, green and every other imaginable color. And the floor and bed were covered with rose petals. White, yellow, pink, red and purple petals were everywhere. She felt her eyes well up as she turned to him and kissed him. "You remembered," she whispered. 

"Of course I did. I hope I got everything right." 

"Music. Candlelight. Roses. Only thing missing is protection," she giggled, kissing his neck. 

"Nope," he whispered. "Got that too." 

She looked up at him. "Are you sure about this?" 

He kissed her again. "I should be asking you that question." 

Amy backed up, making her way to his bed and sitting on it. "What do you think?" 

"Jeff won't be home until late," he said. 

"And everything's already set up. Now all I have to do is thank you properly for going to all this trouble." 

Matt walked over to her, dropping to his knees by the bed and bringing his lips to hers. He pushed her down gently on to the bed where he joined her. Looking down at her, he smiled. "You have rose petals in your hair." 

"Perfect," she whispered, her hands playing in his hair and caressing his face. She felt so much love for this man, and so much longing that her body started speeding up. She felt his hands pull away her shirt and she moaned as he started kissing her from neck to belly button. Her hands were working on his back, and she pulled his shirt over his head, feeling the muscles rippling with each movement he made. 

"I love you," he whispered against her lips. 

"I love you, too. Now make love to me, Matt. Please." 

Her words sent visible shivers down his spine, and he didn't waste any time. He uncovered every inch of her body, worshiping every bit of exposed flesh he could find. By the time he had payed due attention to her body, she was quivering beneath him. "Are you okay?" he asked, pulling back and running his hands lovingly through her hair. 

"You have no idea how many times I pictured this. Every single detail is perfect . . . except for one thing." 

Matt looked confused. "What?" 

Her hands slipped to his waist and she began to undo his pants. "You're still dressed." 

He chuckled and let her pay him back for his earlier torture. Finally, Matt pulled her body closer to his and loved her completely. 

+ ~~ + 

Afterwards, they lay in each other's arms, wonderfully exhausted. Matt's hands were tracing circles on her back as she curled up against him. 

"This is amazing," he mused. 

"What is?" 

"We've made a full circle with our lives. We went from not knowing each other to being friends. Then from friends to almost lovers, then not knowing each other again, back to friends, and finally lovers. You see? It's so perfect." 

She smiled and kissed him tenderly. "Heaven must have known that we needed each other to be complete. Why else would we have gotten a second chance?" 

"I'm just glad we've got someone looking over us." 

Amy nodded. "And now that I have you, I'm never letting go." 

"Good. Because I've lived without you before and I have no intention of doing it again." 

She kissed him, and after that there just wasn't much to be said. 

+ ~~ + 

END 

And for the record, I _am_ working on a sequel. But it's much different from this. And shorter. 


End file.
